While creating robotic grippers to pick up objects that are all the same shape and consistency is relatively easy, difficulties arise when trying to create one versatile enough to handle a wider variety of objects.

The flexibility of the human hand has led many robotics researchers to borrow the familiar four finger and opposable thumb template that has served us so well, but getting the robotic hand to exert enough force to grip a variety of objects without breaking the more fragile ones is still a difficult task. For this reason a team of researchers has bypassed the traditional human hand and fingers design to create a versatile gripper using everyday coffee grounds and a latex party balloon.

Called the universal gripper, instead of being designed to pick up a particular object the device conforms to the object it is grabbing. The gripper, which is attached to a robotic arm, consists of an everyday party balloon filled with ground coffee. The coffee-filled balloon presses down and deforms around the object to be picked up, and then a vacuum sucks the air out of the balloon to solidify the grip on the object. When the vacuum is released, the balloon becomes soft again and the gripper lets go of the object.

While creating robotic grippers to pick up objects that are all the same shape and consistency is relatively easy, difficulties arise when trying to create one versatile enough to handle a wider variety of objects. The flexibility of the human hand has led many robotics researchers to borrow the familiar four finger and opposable thumb template that has served us so well, but getting the robotic hand to exert enough force to grip a variety of objects without breaking the more fragile ones is still a difficult task. For this reason a team of researchers has bypassed the traditional human hand and fingers design to create a versatile gripper using everyday coffee grounds and a latex party balloon.

Called the universal gripper, instead of being designed to pick up a particular object the device conforms to the object it is grabbing. The gripper, which is attached to a robotic arm, consists of an everyday party balloon filled with ground coffee. The coffee-filled balloon presses down and deforms around the object to be picked up, and then a vacuum sucks the air out of the balloon to solidify the grip on the object. When the vacuum is released, the balloon becomes soft again and the gripper lets go of the object.

The Latest on: Robotic hand

September 23, 2017 - A startup called Nuada has developed a soft, robotic glove that gives people with hand pain or weakness a strong grip. According to co-founders Filipe Quinaz and Vitor Crespo, the glove contains a "mesh" of artificial tendons and sensors. These are ...

September 20, 2017 - A seven-year-old Las Vegas girl will throw out the first pitch in game four of the upcoming World Series. It's a dream come true for a young baseball fanatic on a mission to throw out balls at every Major League park. It's also a testament to the ...

September 18, 2017 - Jordan plans to use her soft robotic hand to make a glove for those with disabilities to give them more use of their hands, she said. “I just wanted to use my project in a way that could help someone,” she said of the inspiration for the glove. The ...

September 15, 2017 - People with this defect have underdeveloped chest muscles that cause webbing in their hands. The engineering department at the University of Nevada Las Vegas created a robotic hand for Dawson and have been upgrading it as she grows. She is currently ...

September 14, 2017 - Researchers at the University of Houston have created an artificial skin that allows a robotic hand to sense the difference between heat and cold. The research is the first to create a semiconductor with a rubber composite, which would allow it to ...

September 14, 2017 - Dawson was born with Poland syndrome and is missing three fingers on her right hand, which is also her throwing hand. By using a robotic hand made with a 3-D printer, she has thrown out the ceremonial first pitch for several MLB teams, including the ...

September 14, 2017 - A team of researchers from the University of Houston has reported a breakthrough in stretchable electronics that can serve as an artificial skin, allowing a robotic hand to sense the difference between hot and cold, while also offering advantages for a ...

September 13, 2017 - Even at 7 years old, Hailey Dawson is on her way to reaching a life goal. Dawson has a robotic hand, but that hasn't stopped her from being a must-have person to throw out a first pitch at a major league ballpark. On Oct. 28, she'll throw out the first ...

September 11, 2017 - Second grader Hailey Dawson got a little closer to realizing her dream of throwing the first pitch at every Major League Baseball park this week. The seven year-old has a 3D-printed hand created by the engineering department at the University of Nevada ...

September 8, 2017 - At the request of Hailey's mother, Yong, a group of researchers and students took on the challenge to create a 3D printed prosthetic hand for Hailey. As a result of being born with Poland syndrome, which leaves a pectoral muscle and other parts of the ...